National History Challenge
We are not makers of history. We are made by history.
Martin Luther King Jnr
Alex Pierce
Teacher - Humanities
The National History Challenge (NHC) is an exciting contest that encourages students to use research and inquiry-based learning to discover more about the past. Students are the historians. They can investigate their community, explore their own and their family’s past and consider ideas throughout history. The NHC encourages the use of primary and secondary sources and offers a variety of presentation styles. It rewards students with generous cash prizes and travel opportunities.
We congratulate Sabine Barrett whose essay won the Democracy Matters category at state level, as well as the Victorian State Year 10 overall category.
As a launching point, every year The National History Challenge nominates a theme to guide student submissions. This year, the theme was Contested Histories. Something that's contested is argued over or questioned, so this theme encouraged students to look at a range of issues, people and events about which people argue as to whether the event was important, or whether an event happened the way most people are led to believe.
Three students submitted their essays for the regional and state judging: Cristian Ferri wrote about the Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics; Elias Koch, who wrote about the possible involvement of the CIA in Gough Whitlam’s dismissal; Sabine Barnett wrote about the use of South Seas Islander as indentured labourers. Each of these BSC students invested considerable effort, dedication and enthusiasm into their individual essays and can all be roundly commended for taking on the NHC.
They don't call it a challenge for nothing!
Victorian State Winner
Year 10 category &
Democracy Matters category
Sabine Barnett
Year 10
Complete freedom in an assignment is something of a rarity, for good reason too. However, the National History Challenge provides the opportunity to research something that you are genuinely interested in – the only constraint being the theme.
My essay addressed the contestation around the status of the South Sea Island labourers on Queensland’s sugarcane fields in the 1800s as indentured labourers or slaves (soon after I chose this topic, Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, claimed Australia has never had slaves).
As a person who loves research – the NHC gave me the opportunity to delve into the archives and libraries of the country to thoroughly investigate my topic in a way that enlightened me to the complexities of definitions and legal status.
While a conclusion was difficult from a legal and governmental perspective, my research allowed me to gain an insight into the lives of the labourers, the importance of first-hand accounts (which were lacking) and historical empathy.
After many drafts and Ms Pierce’s constructive feedback, I submitted an essay I am still genuinely proud of as it truly reflects just how much I learned during the challenge – not only about my topic, but also concerning research skills, brevity, and the legacy of historical events.
I would like to thank Ms Pierce for encouraging the historian in me and for reading my many thousands of words.
Readers are invited to read Sabine's winning submission here.